Harvest Time Affects Postharvest Longevity, Water Relations, and Carbohydrates Status of Selected Specialty Cut Species

The effects of harvest time on cut ‘ABC Purple’ lisianthus, ‘Double Eagle’ African marigold, and ‘Deep Red’ zinnia were studied to determine the best time of the day for harvest. Cut stems were either harvested in the morning (0700–0800 HR), at noon (1200–1300 HR), or in the afternoon (1700–1800 HR) and their postharvest performance was evaluated either fresh or after 2 week storage in tap water at 2 ± 1 °C. Cut lisianthus stems harvested in the afternoon had longer vase life, higher water uptake, bud opening, leaf relative water contents (LRWC), and better postharvest quality than morning or noon harvests, when compared after storage. However, unstored stems had similar vase life. Marigold stems also had longer vase life when harvested in the afternoon, while storage had no effect on vase life. However, harvest time had no effect on LRWC of marigold. Harvest time did not affect vase life and LRWC of zinnia, although afternoon harvested stems had higher water uptake and less stem bending. In marigold, the morning harvest had lower carbohydrate contents than noon or afternoon harvests, while in zinnia, no apparent differences were recorded. In both species, petals had higher carbohydrate contents than stem and leaves and carbohydrate contents decreased both with storage and time in vases. In summary, afternoon harvest was either better or equally good as the generally practiced morning harvest for extending vase life and maintaining high relative water content of cut lisianthus, marigold, and zinnia.